A sophomore season to remember has propelled one former Arizona Wildcat into the fray to be an early NBA Draft pick, according to Arizona sports betting sites.
The player in question is guard Bennedict Mathurin, who captured Pac-12 Player of the Year and a second-team All-American spot during the 2021-22 season in Tucson.
The 6-foot-6 Montreal native led Arizona in scoring (17.7 PPG) and also pulled down 5.6 rebounds and dished out 2.5 assists for the Pac-12 champs, leading to his spot on numerous NBA betting draft odds boards.
Mathurin’s been projected by CBSSports.com to go fifth overall in the draft, which will be held in Brooklyn on June 23, to the Detroit Pistons.
Former Wildcat Deandre Ayton was picked first overall by the Phoenix Suns in 2018. Mathurin, who turns 20 on Sunday, looks to join Ayton and fellow Wildcats Lauri Markkanen (eighth overall in 2017), Stanley Johnson (eighth overall in 2015), Aaron Gordon (fourth overall in 2014) and Derrick Williams (second overall in 2011) as Arizona players picked in the lottery since 2010.
NBA Draft No. 1 Pick Odds
Where Mathurin Stands on Arizona Sports Betting Draft Boards
Mathurin finds himself listed on several of the NBA Draft odds boards available on Arizona sports betting apps, including BetMGM Sportsbook Arizona and Caesars Sportsbook Arizona.
The All-American is listed at +25000 to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft on BetMGM, ranking in a tie for seventh.
The oddsmakers at Caesars Sportsbook Arizona also have Mathurin in a tie for seventh at +25000. Smith is -190 at Caesars.
Ayton is the only Wildcat to ever be selected No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft. Seventy-four Arizona players have been drafted, dating back to Morris Udall and Lincoln Richmond in 1948.
